Secure Copy

First Published: May 31, 2001
Last Updated: January 07, 2010

The Secure Copy (SCP) feature provides a secure and authenticated method for copying router configuration or router image files. SCP relies on Secure Shell (SSH), an application and a protocol that provide a secure replacement for the Berkeley r-tools.

Finding Feature Information

Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the "Feature Information for Secure Copy" section.

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Contents

•Prerequisites for Secure Copy

•Information About Secure Copy

•How to Configure Secure Copy

•Configuration Examples for Secure Copy

•Additional References

•Feature Information for Secure Copy

•Glossary

Prerequisites for Secure Copy

•Before enabling SCP, you must correctly configure SSH, authentication, and authorization on the router.

•Because SCP relies on SSH for its secure transport, the router must have an Rivest, Shamir, and Adelman (RSA) key pair.

Information About Secure Copy

•How Secure Copy Works

How Secure Copy Works

The behavior of SCP is similar to that of remote copy (rcp), which comes from the Berkeley r-tools suite, except that SCP relies on SSH for security. In addition, SCP requires that authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) authorization be configured so the router can determine whether the user has the correct privilege level.

SCP allows a user who has appropriate authorization to copy any file that exists in the Cisco IOS File System (IFS) to and from a router by using the copy command. An authorized administrator may also perform this action from a workstation.

Note Enable SCP option while using pscp.exe with the Cisco IOS software.

How to Configure Secure Copy

This section contains the following procedures:

•Configuring Secure Copy

•Configuration Examples for Secure Copy

Configuring Secure Copy

To enable and configure a Cisco router for SCP server-side functionality, perform the following steps.

SUMMARY STEPS

1. enable

2. configure terminal

3. aaa new-model

4. aaa authentication login {default | list-name} method1 [method2...]

5. aaa authorization {network | exec | commands level | reverse-access | configuration} {default | list-name} [method1 [method2...]]

6. username name [privilege level] {password encryption-type encrypted-password}

7. ip scp server enable

DETAILED STEPS

 
Command
Purpose

Step 1 

enable

Example:

Router> enable

Enables privileged EXEC mode.

•Enter your password if prompted.

Step 2 

configure terminal

Example:

Router# configure terminal

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 3 

aaa new-model

Example:

Router(config)# aaa new-model

Sets AAA authentication at login.

Step 4 

aaa authentication login {default | list-name} method1 [method2...]

Example:

Router(config)# aaa authentication login default group tacacs+

Enables the AAA access control system.

Step 5 

aaa authorization {network | exec | commands level | reverse-access | configuration} {default | list-name} [method1 [method2...]]

Example:

Router(config)# aaa authorization exec default group tacacs+

Sets parameters that restrict user access to a network.

Note The exec keyword runs authorization to determine if the user is allowed to run an EXEC shell; therefore, you must use it when you configure SCP.

Step 6 

username name [privilege level] {password encryption-type encrypted-password}

Example:

Router(config)# username superuser privilege 2 password 0 superpassword

Establishes a username-based authentication system.

Note You may omit this step if a network-based authentication mechanism—such as TACACS+ or RADIUS—has been configured.

Step 7 

ip scp server enable

Example:

Router(config)# ip scp server enable

Enables SCP server-side functionality.

Step 8 

show running-config

Example:

Router# show running-config

(Optional) Verifies the SCP server-side functionality.

Step 9 

debug ip scp

Example:

Router# debug ip scp

(Optional) Troubleshoots SCP authentication problems.

Configuration Examples for Secure Copy

•Example: SCP Server-Side Configuration Using Local Authentication

•Example: SCP Server-Side Configuration Using Network-Based Authentication

Example: SCP Server-Side Configuration Using Local Authentication

The following example shows how to configure the server-side functionality of SCP. This example uses a locally defined username and password. 

! AAA authentication and authorization must be configured properly for SCP to work.

aaa new-model

aaa authentication login default local

aaa authorization exec default local

username user1 privilege 15 password 0 lab

! SSH must be configured and functioning properly.

ip ssh time-out 120

ip ssh authentication-retries 3

ip scp server enable

Example: SCP Server-Side Configuration Using Network-Based Authentication

The following example shows how to configure the server-side functionality of SCP using a network-based authentication mechanism: 

! AAA authentication and authorization must be configured properly for SCP to work. 

aaa new-model 

aaa authentication login default group tacacs+

aaa authorization exec default group tacacs+

! SSH must be configured and functioning properly.

ip ssh time-out 120

ip ssh authentication-retries 3

ip scp server enable

Additional References

Related Documents

Related Topic
Document Title

Cisco IOS commands

Cisco IOS Master Commands List, All Releases

Secure Shell Version 1 and 2 support

•"Configuring Secure Shell" module

•"Secure Shell Version 2 Support" module

Authentication and authorization commands

Cisco IOS Security Command Reference

Configuring authentication and authorization

"Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA)" section of Cisco IOS Security Configuration Guide: Securing User Services, Release 15.0


Standards

Standards
Title

None

—


MIBs

MIBs
MIBs Link

None

To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco software releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/mibs


RFCs

RFCs
Title

None

—


Technical Assistance

Description
Link

The Cisco Support and Documentation website provides online resources to download documentation, software, and tools. Use these resources to install and configure the software and to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. Access to most tools on the Cisco Support and Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password.

http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/support/index.html


Feature Information for Secure Copy

Table 68 lists the release history for this feature.

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and software image support. Cisco Feature Navigator enables you to determine which software images support a specific software release, feature set, or platform. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Note Table 68 lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.

Table 68 Feature Information for Secure Copy 

Feature Name
Releases
Feature Information

Secure Copy

12.2(2)T
12.0(21)S
12.2(25)S

The Secure Copy (SCP) feature provides a secure and authenticated method for copying router configuration or router image files. SCP relies on Secure Shell (SSH), an application and a protocol that provide a secure replacement for the Berkeley r-tools.

This feature was introduced in Cisco IOS Release 12.2(2)T.

This feature was integrated into Cisco IOS Release 12.0(21)S.

This feature was integrated into Cisco IOS Release 12.2(25)S.

The following commands were introduced or modified: debug ip scp, ip scp server enable.


Glossary

AAA—authentication, authorization, and accounting. Framework of security services that provide the method for identifying users (authentication), for remote access control (authorization), and for collecting and sending security server information used for billing, auditing, and reporting (accounting).

rcp—remote copy. Relying on Remote Shell (Berkeley r-tools suite) for security, rcp copies files, such as router images and startup configurations, to and from routers.

SCP—secure copy. Relying on SSH for security, SCP support allows the secure and authenticated copying of anything that exists in the Cisco IOS File System. SCP is derived from rcp.

SSH—Secure Shell. Application and a protocol that provide a secure replacement for the Berkeley r-tools. The protocol secures the sessions using standard cryptographic mechanisms, and the application can be used similarly to the Berkeley rexec and rsh tools. SSH Version 1 is implemented in the Cisco IOS software.

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Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

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